Folding stool-ladder



Jan. '17, 1933. HIROSE ET AL 1,894,489.

FOLDING STOOL LADDER Filed June 6. 1929 6 Fi .3. 4 10.. iv i yi i xqiv 20 77 W1 4/ 2 21 as Patented Jan. 17,. .1933

.nm men, or

UNITED srA'rss PATENT OFFICE.-

FOLDING STOOL-LADDER Application filed June 6, 1929, Serial Io. 868 .928, and in Japan. June 8, 1928.

Our invention relates to improvements in foldin stool-ladder, and more partlcularly tofol ing and locking structure thereof.

One object of our invention is to provide improved means for foldably connectmgseveral elements .of a stool and also locking them in any one of a plurality of predetermined relative angular positions. Another object of our invention is to provide a stool-ladder which is foldable'threefold, and may be extended and held rigid for use as either a ladder or a stool.

c There are other objects and particularities of 'our present invention, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Inthe accompanying drawing; Fig. 1 1s a general perspective view of our improved stool ladder in a semi-extended position; Fig. 2' is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the stool-ladder in the. same position as in .Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view, in an enlarged scale, taken at line IIIIII .in Fig.

2; Fig.4 is a partial sectional view, in an enlarged scale, taken atline IV-'IV in Fig. 2; Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are perspective views showing the stool-ladder in various relative positions of its elements, respectively.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, our

improved stool-ladder comprises three ladder elements 1, 2 and 3.- Each of these ladder elements are formed by a pair of side-bars 4 and a plurality of cross members or rungs 5 respectively fixed at the ends to and bridging I the corresponding side-bars 4. 8

The first ladderelement'. 1. 's provided, at one end, with a pair of segmental discs or 'ear-pieces 6, one secured toeach side bar,

by means of, for example,an integral extension 7 and a screw 8 which extends throp h the extension 7 and the corresponding s1 ebar'4. Between the ear-pieces 6 are mounted 'a foot plate 9 suitably secured thereto at the ends. I

The second ladder element 2 has, at its end adjacent to the'first element 1, a pair ofdiscs 10 which are secured to the respective-sidebars 4 in a simil r manner as he'reinbefgre described in conn tion withthe ear-pieces 6, by means of integral extensions 11 an screws 12. A foot plate 13'is mounted be the d tions 21. With the pin's20 e TOKYO-FD, AND NAG-AHIBO ISHIKIZU, 0F KAND A-KUJIOKYO, JAPAN, ASSIGNOBS TO KITO HIBOBE, OF TOKYO-EU, JAPAN tween these discs 10, and suitably secured thereto at the ends.

The ear-pieces 6 and discs 10 are disposed so as to lap each other, and pivotally connected or hinged witheachother, by means of a bolt or bar 14which extends through suitable bores or perforations respectively formedin the ear-pieces 6 and discs 10 in side through each of said openings 17. Each 1 member 19 has, fixed thereto, a laterally and outwardly extending pin 20 which extends through a corresponding perforation formed to engage one of a plurality of perforations 21 formed in the adjacent disc 10, as will hereinafter be described.

in the adjacent earrpiece 6, and is adapted A pair of coil springs 22 contained in the I casing 16, and disposed between the stop 18 and respective slidable members 19, tend to,

bias the ins 20 to the outermost position as clearly s own in Fig.. 3, thus forming resilient means for normally holding the pins .in the position..

Each of the discs 10 are provided with a plurality of rforations 21 formed therein and circum erentially spaced from each other. The spacing may be either equi-distant or non-equi-dlstant. The radial position of these perforations must correspond to ins 20. c

T us. it willreadily be understood that the ladder elements land 2 are foldable with order to enable such folding, the slidable to compress the s rings 22; for disengaging the pins 20 out o the cooperating pe oraany one of the perforations 21 in the pair 0 1 0, m

each other with the bolt 14 as a pivot. In

the ladder elements 1 and 2 are positively locked in a predetermined relative angular position. Any particular perforations 21 engagingthe cooperating pins 20 determine the relative angular position as shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 7, respectively. The second ladder element 2' is provided, at the opposite end, a pair of semi-circular ear-pieces 23, one secured to each of the side- 1 bars 4, in a similar manner as .hereinbefore described in connection with the ear-pieces 6, b means of extensions 24 and screws 25. Eac of these ear-pieces 23 has a'plurality of perforations 26 of equi-radial distance with respect to a bolt 27,which extends through suitable bores in the end portions of the sidebars of the ladder element 2 and the adjacent end portions of the side-bars of the third ladder element 3. The bolt 27 serves to pivotally connect the two ladder elements 2 and 3 'with each other,

and is held in position by suitable means such I as nut 28.

The third ladder element 3 is provided in its side-bars, at such portions as correspond to the radial distance of the perforations 26, bores or chamber 29 closed-by leg portions of reinforcing cap members 30 secured to and partiall covering the end portions through which t e bolt 27 extends. A locking pin 31 is mounted through eachbore 29, as well as the corresponding openings formed in the coverings 30. A coil spring 32 is disposed within each bore 29, with one end secured to 35 the corresponding pin 31 and the other end resting against one inner wall formed by the covering 30', thus tending to bias the pin 31 to the outermost position shown in-the drawing, in which the pin may engage one of the perforations '26 in theear-piece 23.

The particular perforation 26 engaged by the cooperating pin 31 determines the relative angular position of the second and third ladder'elements 2 and 3, in which position the elements are positively locked by said'pin and perforation engagement.

- It'will be seen that when the three ladder elements 1, 2 and 3, are semi-extended and locked in the relative angular positions by means of engagement of the locking pins and perforations, 20, 31 and 21, 26, as shown in Fig.1, the apparatus may be used asa stool.

When the main or the first and second elements 1 and2 are brought to a smaller angular position as shown in Fig. 5 and locked therein, the foot plates 9 and 13 are brought into one plane, forming an ample totalarea for footing, and if the third or supplementary ladder element 3 is folded on to the second element. 2 as shown in Fig. 6, the apparatus may be used as a ladder of another form.

When the three elements 1, 2 and 3 are extended entirely as shown in Fig. 7 and locked I 5 therein by the pin and perforation engagenot our intention tolimit its scope to that emment, the apparatusmay be utilized as a continuous ladder.

While one illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it is bodiment or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claim.

We claim as our invention j A stool ladder comprising'a pair of ladder elements, one provided at the upper end with a pair of discs having perforations andthe other provided at the upper end with a pair of ear pieces bearing against the inner sides of saiddiscs, said ear pieces having perforations, a pivot bolt extending through the centers of the discs and the corresponding portions of the ear pieces and coacting with said discs and ear pieces to hingedl connect the' ladder elements together,a tu e secured to and connecting the ear pieces and having longitudinal slots near its ends, slidable members in the tube having finger pieces extending. through the slots and movable therein, said sliding members having pins extending through the openings in the ear pieces and engageable with the openings in the discs and springs active to hold said slidable members with theirpins in engaged position.

In witness whereof we afiix our signatures.

JUN HIROSE. NAGAHIRO ISHIMIZU.

ias

()ERfllFlCATE or CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,894,489.

JUN HIROSE ET AL.

tied that the name of the assignee in the above numbered described and specified as "Kito llirose" whereas said "Mrs. Kito Hirose", and line lt is hereby certi patent was erroneously name should have been described and specified as 13, of the granting clause for the word "his" read "her"; Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. I

Signed and sealed this 28th day of February. A. D. 1933i.-

M. J. not",

( Seal January 17, 1933.

and that the said Acting (Sommissioner of Patents. 

